Towson bracing for winter storm

Baltimore County gets hit by another snowstorm Tuesday, Jan. 21, with accumulation expected to be from 4 to 10 inches, and temperatures expected to drop below freezing. (Photos by Karen Jackson, Steve Ruark, Noah Scialom and Lloyd Fox)

Jon Meoli, jmeoli@tribune.com

Towson residents seem to be doing all they can to avoid the weather as the worst winter storm in years sets its sights on Maryland.

As snow began accumulating on Towson’s streets in the late morning and early afternoon, few were braving the road. Those who did head out on the streets found that state roads, such as York Roads, were in better shape than the county ones.

Central Maryland is under a winter storm warning until 11 p.m. Tuesday, with between six and 10 inches of snow expected for the area.

Baltimore County school officials announced Tueday night that schools will be closed Wednesday.

Baltimore County government is closed Tuesday, but county officials are providing updates on their snow relief efforts here. Residents are urged to stay at home until the storm ends.

County officials posted on their Snow Fighter page at around 3:30 p.m. that road conditions were deteriorating, and that the nearly 500 county employees working in storm operations were being hindered by the snow and high winds.

Baltimore County will prioritize main roads until the storm is over, they said.

Late Tuesday morning, county officials warned residents not to shovel into the street, to be mindful of where plows may come from if they shovel before the plows come, and not to park on streets unless it is necessary.

The State Highway Administration said at 10 a.m. Tuesday that Baltimore County is under a snow emergency plan, which prohibits parking on streets designated as snow emergency routes.

As state agencies and local agencies issued warnings, Towson’s residents and businesses took action.

At Ayd’s Hardware in Towson, the neighborhood store saw an early rush to buy melting salt and shovels as the reality of the storm set in.

“People came in before the store opened, before 9 a.m.,” employee Lauren Hamami said. Hamami said that in her experience, people stop coming as the roads get worse. But earlier in the day, the store was crowded.

Fellow employee Bill Carroll said the store was benefitting from its stock of melting salt. Many customers came in earlier in the day having already stopped at the York Road Giant, which they said did not have any salt for sale.

With county government and the District Court closed, downtown Towson’s streets took on a lazy weekend feel. Streetside parking was readily available, and when employees would typically be pouring out of offices to grab lunch, just one man stood at the kebab stand on Washington Avenue.

“I could have worked from home, but I had a lot I had to get done,” Kyle Young, 25, said. Young, who lives in the city, said he works at General Dynamics—and that if the weather kept up, he wouldn’t be in Towson much longer.